Teachers Are the Catalyst: John Legend Highlights LRNG Innovators in (a Series of) New Videos

November 09, 2017

By Educator Innovator

By supporting educators across the country to imagine engaging ways to help young people explore their interests, LRNG Innovators and the National Writing Project’s Educator Innovator Initiative celebrate learning in the many places that it happens every day. LRNG Innovators awards grants to educator teams who are designing, testing, and sharing solutions that build the future of creative and connected learning.

Today, Educator Innovator is excited to share a new series of videos, in which LRNG Innovators co-founder John Legend highlights the work of a few recent project teams.

“Through my work with LRNG Innovators, I have met remarkable teachers who have powerful, scalable ideas about improving teaching and learning for their students. My favorite moments with LRNG Innovators have been when our programs unlock skills or interests inside students that they didn’t know they had—when they discover their passion for writing through a creative expressions workshop or have the chance to combine their love of video games with real, tangible learning and career opportunities. Every father wants their daughters and sons to learn and explore and be empowered in school. I’m happy to work with teachers who enable kids to do just that.”

Check out the new video series below and read more from John Legend on why he co-founded LRNG Innovators.

Creating with Confidence in Indianapolis, Indiana

The aim of this program is to support Warren Central High School students as they build a stronger community by working with local residents in design-thinking activities that lead to the creation of public art for their school’s campus and another accessible locations in Warren Township. They also learn from practicing and professional teaching artists how to involve the residents of their community in a public art project to enhance neighborhood identity and foster a real spirit of place.

Playable Fashion in Brooklyn, New York

Deep in the heart of Brooklyn, this project helps youth create their own games with custom wearable game controllers, inspired by their own personal narratives. Combining fashion, technology, and gaming, the group helps teens develop the tools and knowledge they need to become the makers, not just the consumers, of games and wearable fashion. By combining skill development in technology through game design and wearable technology, students receive grounding that will allow them to continue their STEAM learning and to understand the many career possibilities that this knowledge offers.

Bridging Borders in Las Cruces, New Mexico

This program recognizes the importance of bridging the gaps that exist between in- and out-of-school environments, writing, and other forms of creative expression by helping young high school students improve their writing, build creativity, and support mindfulness. With the support of mentors and guest artists in the community, the youth develop their creative voice, harness critical thinking skills, and examine the role their work can play in school and beyond the classroom walls.